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A Christian nurse in Britain may soon be fired for offering to pray for her patients' recovery.

Caroline Petrie has been suspended and faces disciplinary action because her employer claims she failed to show a "personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity" when she suggested the prayer, the London Telegraph reported.

Petrie, 45, a wife and mother of two, is a community nurse who works for North Somerset Primary Care Trust. As part of her job, she visits patients who are sick and elderly. Petrie said she never forced her Christian beliefs on any of her patients but simply asked if an elderly woman would appreciate the blessing.

"I simply couldn't believe that I have been suspended over this," she told the Telegraph. "I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. All I am trying to do is help my patients, many of whom want me to pray for them."

Petrie visited the elderly woman, a resident in Winscombe, North Somerset, in December.

"It was around lunchtime and I had spent about 20 to 25 minutes with her," the nurse said. "I had applied dressings to her legs and shortly before I left I said to her: 'Would you like me to pray for you?'"

The patient said, "No, thank you."

Shortly afterward, Petrie's employer contacted her and asked her why she had offered the prayer. The patient, a woman in her late 70s, had complained to the trust.

Another nurse approached Petrie the following day and told her the woman had been surprised by the offer. Petrie apologized and asked if she had offended the patient.

The nurse replied, "No, no. She was just a bit taken back. You must be aware of your professional code of conduct. I would be careful."

But that wasn't the end of it. Petrie returned home to find a message on her answering machine. She was suspended without pay on Dec. 17 and forced to attend a disciplinary meeting. Petrie expects to be notified of her employer's decision this week.

The nurse told the Telegraph that she has been a Christian since she was only 10 – following her mother's tragic death from breast cancer.

"My faith is very important to me," she said.

This was not the first prayer incident that has prompted her employer to discipline Petrie.

She offered a prayer card to an elderly male patient in October, according to the report. He joyfully accepted the gift.

However, the man's caretaker objected to the gesture.

Petrie's boss reprimanded her, saying, "As a nurse you are required to uphold the reputation of your profession.

"Your NMC [Nursing Midwifery Council] code states that 'you must demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity' and 'you must not use your professional status to promote causes that are not related to health'."

Petrie was instructed to participate in an equality and diversity course.

"If there is any further similar incident it may be treated as potential misconduct and the formal disciplinary procedure could be instigated," her employer warned.

Petrie said she stopped giving prayer cards to her patients, but she found it difficult not to simply offer prayers.

"My concern is for the person as a whole, not just their health," she said. "I was told not to force my faith on anyone but I could respond if patients themselves brought up the subject [of religion]."

In the most recent incident, the elderly woman claims she was not insulted by the gesture, but that she is concerned other patients might take offense.

Petrie has contacted the Christian Legal Center, a group that seeks to promote religious freedom, for representation.

"Caroline Petrie has been suspended pending an investigation into the matter," a spokesman for North Somerset Primary Care Trust told the Guardian. "She is a bank nurse and she has been told we will not be using her in this capacity until the outcome of our investigation is known.

"We always take any concerns raised by our patients most seriously and conscientiously investigate any matter of this nature brought to our attention, the spokesman continued. "We are always keen to be respectful of our patients' views and sensitivity as well as those of our staff."

Concerned individuals may e-mail the North Somerset Primary Care Trust.

"If you think you are too small to make a difference
you have never spent the night with a mosquito."
~ Dali lama

Why do the patients need to give the OK for her to pray for them? Whether they want to or not, if faith is important to her and she wants to pray for them - why not just pray for them?

Its obviously gotten her in trouble before, so she should do the smart thing and not mention it.

I don't think its even an issue of pushing her faith on anybody, because saying "No" is the easiest response in the world.

The fact that somebody in the medical fieldwho is depended upon by their patients to make them better is suggesting "prayer" to a patient, will not fill them with confidence about the abilities of that member of staff.

I would hate to think that prayer is the only option left to me, and im sure the patients in this story feel the same. Religious or not, sick people want treatment - not scripture.

Faith is a tool like anything else, and it can be a very powerful one, but this woman needs to accept that it's not applicable to everybody. Just like you wouldnt use certain drugs with certain patients, and that surgery on the elderly is riskier than with younger people.

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When my GF's grandfather was in the hospital a few nurses were Santerians(or somethingsimilar from the way he described) and they did some shit in his room that freaked him the fuck out. He was already suffering from Sundowner Syndrome which added confusion to his already old mind. He really didn't need them to add to his bad trip.....

He even asked them not to do it anymore but they did until I asked them to stop. The poor old man was so upset he wanted to leave in a hurry with a shattered vertebrae. He said he couldn't stand anymore voodo rituals in his room....

Coarse edged youth, the irish pendants string from their smiles
not yet plucked as to slacken the seams
and drag down the features of age,
no folds or creases from unkempt wear
eyes of tranquilty, crystalline-beads
no sign of despair in their hair, nor their hearts
but oh they have yet to be experienced and that makes aging so very worth it...ML circa2012

Coarse edged youth, the irish pendants string from their smiles
not yet plucked as to slacken the seams
and drag down the features of age,
no folds or creases from unkempt wear
eyes of tranquilty, crystalline-beads
no sign of despair in their hair, nor their hearts
but oh they have yet to be experienced and that makes aging so very worth it...ML circa2012

"Readiness for Enhanced Spiritual Well-Being; An individual who experiences affirmation of life in a relationship with a higher power (as defined by the person), self, community, and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness (The National Interfaith Coalition on Aging, 1980, as cited in Carson, 1989)"

Source; Carpenito-Moyet, Lynda Juall. Handbook of Nursing Diagnosis.

Now i agree with the above points in that she has been warned before, just keep your mouth shut and only mention religion if it is mentioned to you first.

I don't agree on this being such a big deal.

Manic, it sucks that those nurses were still doing stupid shit when they were asked to stop. That is grounds for being reprimanded IMO.

My only problem is this, the Nursing Model teaches spirituality as being a factor in the healing/dying process. Yes she was maybe a tiny bit overzealous, but she didn't push her beliefs on anyone...even the patients said so.

She asked a simple question, hell it could be justified as her trying to establish a nursing diagnosis in her care plan.

I just think it was taken a bit too far, especially since this stuff is taught to Nurses. I counted three nursing diagnoses in my handbook relating to spirituality. Nursing is not exactly medicine like most people think of it, it encompasses much more than just the medical aspect (it includes, spirituality, psychosocial domains, community roles etc.). It is a holistic approach to the individual.

"The greatest obstacle to knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge." -Barry Marshall, Nobel Laureate

Some of those people might have felt her asking to pray for them meant that they were so fucked up there was no other hope, last rights and all that mumbo jumbo.....

Coarse edged youth, the irish pendants string from their smiles
not yet plucked as to slacken the seams
and drag down the features of age,
no folds or creases from unkempt wear
eyes of tranquilty, crystalline-beads
no sign of despair in their hair, nor their hearts
but oh they have yet to be experienced and that makes aging so very worth it...ML circa2012